We have all, at some point in our lives, been witness to and
subject to unfairness and discrimination. We all know what it is,
what impact it can have, what vicious forms it can take and how
it manifests itself in the world. No one is exempt; no one is
free. Unfairness penetrates our everyday lives. It exists within
our very being; our very existence.

From my perspective, eradicating unfairness seems virtually
impossible. No matter what progress governments seem to make in
tackling corruption, greed and unfairness, it still festers.
Tackling injustice seems such a mammoth task and it is difficult
to know where to start.

On Thursday 11th of February this year, I received some serious
encouragement. The top politician in my country, the First
Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, agreed to meet me
to discuss my Voices of Youth blogging internship and what
contribution she believes young people can make in tackling
injustice. So listen up all you Voices of Youth bloggers!

Does she think young people have an important role to play in
helping to shape our world? You bet she does.

She thinks it’s vitally important to engage young people in the
debates that shape our lives and acknowledges how easily we can
talk to each other using modern technology. This means we are now
as able to speak to someone on the other side of the world as we
are to someone on the next street; it means that a Scottish
school pupil can make a direct contribution to a Syrian refugee
in Greece. She highlights how powerful it is to enable a young
person to see beyond their own horizons.

That, I guess, is where Voices of Youth (VOY) fits in. The world
needs more initiatives which make the case for everyone getting
the same opportunities in life, a view which the First Minister
shares. She pointed out that Scotland, as a rich country, has an
obligation to provide practical support to those who are in need
and indeed has responded to that need by establishing and
protecting an international development budget. That, however, is
not to minimise the contribution to be made by initiatives like
VOY.

It was so refreshing to hear this politician confess that
sometimes as people get older, they become a little “cynical and
jaded” and that’s when it becomes even more important to hear and
see things through the eyes of children and youth.

“I often think there is a power in hearing things expressed from
the viewpoint of a young person” were her exact words. Take heart
from that.

I felt compelled to ask her what she would say to the VOY
blogging world if she had to sum up the Scottish character –
after all she was so keen to encourage us to learn about each
other’s cultures! No surprise that she agrees with me that there
is something deep in the Scottish psyche that recognises the
inherent worth of a human being regardless of gender, religion,
race or background; each to be judged according to the person
they are. She cautions against complacency however and
romanticising, believing that racism and prejudice still exist
and will always have to be tackled. I liked the way she quoted
Robert Burns – obviously she has read my earlier blogs! I
hope!

So for all of you who, like me, wonder where to start, let me
tell you that we have already made that start. Wherever we live,
whatever our culture, we have connected to each other already and
we are able to make a difference. There will always be
politicians and other influential individuals who will at least
be open to listening to us. For there is great power in the art
of listening.

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Voices of Youth (VOY) was founded in 1995 as UNICEF’s online place for young people to learn more about issues affecting their world. Today, VOY is a vibrant community of youth bloggers from all over the world, offering inspiring, original insight and opinion on a variety of topics. Everyone is welcome to write, film, comment and engage in discussions. Let’s go!